A single donation of whole blood can supply red blood cell (RBCs), platelet, and plasma products, which can potentially benefit three different patients. Stored RBCs currently suffer certain disadvantages. The lifespan of stored RBCs is 42 days, which given the fluctuation of supply and demand for RBCs, can lead to dangerous shortages in times of unexpected need. RBCs can also harbor pathogens that can endanger the recipient if the pathogen is transmitted via transfusion. In addition, an individual donates each unit of blood collected which is fractionated and stored separately resulting in a great degree of variance in the amount of RBCs collected and stored in each unit. As a result, the concentration and volume of RBCs varies from unit to unit and thus the number of RBCs administered to a given recipient is variable.
Accordingly, a pathogen-free RBC product that has an increased lifespan and provides a uniform amount of RBCs per unit would be highly desirable.